Blog Posts tagged with "Admiral James Stavridis"
Missiles and Pirates
In the week ahead, I'll focus on two topics that don't always get a huge amount of attention, but are very important: piracy and missile defense. These are two key missions we are undertaking today with NATO forces and reflect the kind of trans-national threats that the Alliance must be prepared to face in this turbulent 21st century.
A member of the maritime interdiction operations Visit, Board, Search, and Seizure team attached to USS Stephen W. Groves climbs down the boarding ladder to conduct a boarding exercise designed to enhance regional maritime partnerships among the 14 participating countries in their efforts to deter illicit trafficking at sea. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Edward Vasquez/Released) Let me begin with piracy.
We face a significant global problem that has caused extensive and expensive disruptions to the global maritime transportation grid. In particular, off the horn of Africa in the northern Indian Ocean, we've seen hundreds of pirate attacks and dozens of successful hijackings over the past five years. Costs to the international community are estimated to be as high as $5-10 billion per year, and hundreds of mariners have been held hostage for ransom.
Although the success rate and the numbers of attacks are down this year, we still have seven ships and more than 100 hostages held by Somali pirates on the largely ungoverned east coast of Africa.
NATO, along with the European Union and a variety of individual nations -- Russia, China, Japan, Korea, India, Iran, the Gulf States -- have maintained an average of 20-30 ships on patrol in the waters stretching from the Red Sea past the Gulf of Aden and down into the Northern Indian Ocean. These forces have captured hundreds of pirates, with 500 now in a variety of jails around the world.
The shipping industry has also responded forcefully by implementing a series of "best business practices" that include traveling in convoys, hardening defenses (such as concertina wire along the decks), posting additional look-outs, and hiring private security teams. To date, no ship with an embarked private security team has been successfully hijacked, although many have been attacked.
In London, the U.N. sponsored International Maritime Organization (IMO) will be co-hosting a conference September 24-25 that brings together many of the key stakeholders involved in the fight against piracy. That includes NATO (represented by British 4-star Admiral, Sir George Zamballas, commander of our Maritime Component Command in Northwood, UK, and myself); the European Union, represented by their senior naval commander; the heads of security for many of the world's larger shipping companies; as well as journalists, academics and other experts.
We'll share our thoughts and ideas on how to build on the successes of the past 12 months in facing this threat. Much of the conversation will center of improving private-public cooperation between the shippers and the protecting forces; as well as how we can move ashore to pre-empt pirate strikes and disrupt their bases and logistics, build local forces (i.e. coast guards), and utilize the "comprehensive approach" to reduce the attraction of piracy as an occupation.
Later in the week, I'll be turning my attention to missile defense.
The NATO center for missile defense is in Ramstein, Germany, at the Air Component Command ably led by US Air Force 4-star General Phil Breedlove, a deeply experienced airman with multiple tours in Europe during his 30+ year career. General Breedlove is working hard on putting the nascent NATO missile defense system in place.
The Ticonderoga class guided-missile cruiser USS Monterey provides the ballistic missile defense under the European Phased Adaptive Approach. Currently, we have a command and control system largely located in Ramstein; and advanced phased array radar forward deployed in NATO ally Turkey's southern region; and several AEGIS missile defense ships operating at sea in the Eastern Mediterranean. This provides the beginning of a missile defense system over Turkey, Greece, and parts of the Balkans.
Over time, our plan is to add additional radars and missile systems ashore, as well as to bring four additional missile defense AEGIS destroyers into the Mediterranean, to be stationed in Rota, Spain.
We will be working on burden-sharing, as many of the NATO allies have good missile defense capability at sea and ashore that can be linked into the system. Unfortunately, we still have some disagreements with Russia about the system (Russia is concerned this system may have the capability to defeat their strategic ICBM force, an assessment with which we do not agree, nor is it our intent, plan or policy to threaten their strategic force with this system, but we are working to dispel this misconception.), but that conversation continues. I'm hoping to eventually see a robust missile defense system in place that provides coverage for the entire Alliance.
Appropriately, I am spending a great deal of time on the challenges of Afghanistan and the Balkans at the moment; but there are other key issues at work facing the Alliance, and this week I'll be investing in these two areas.
Best,
Jim
Admiral, USN
Supreme Allied Commander, Europe
Commander, US European Command
"Stronger Together"
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EUCOM Turns 60 Today
Today we celebrate the 60th anniversary of the inception of our command. Our dedicated Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines and civilians are a fine time.
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How to Brief a Senior Officer
I was recently asked on-line about "how to brief a senior officer?” Great question!
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The Heart of the World
What I really want to talk about this evening is something that is cherished in the heart of everyone in this room - journalism. Journalism is a demanding and peculiar profession.
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NATO: A Summer Agenda
As NATO finishes up the successful Chicago Summit and moves into the summer months, several key issues are bubbling.
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Commitment to 2014 and Beyond
As the North Atlantic Council finished up the 25th Summit it is clearly evident that it was a summit of commitment. The Alliance made the commitment to complete transition in Afghanistan and to support Afghans in achieving a stable future. It also made the commitment to ensuring NATO is capable of dealing with 21st century challenges, as well as the commitment to further strengthen connections with our global partners. Most importantly, the Chicago Summit demonstrated our commitment to each other - the unbreakable bond between North America and Europe, which remains the bedrock of our security.
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Twenty Great Novels for Summer Reading
As we head into the summer, I went back to some of the great reads of the last century in fiction. Some are famous and well known to generations of high school and college students -- but might deserve a re-read. Others are less well known to broad audiences.
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Sailing on to the NATO Chicago Summit
We've just concluded the two big warm-up events that have brought into focus what we'll be doing at the NATO Summit in mid-May, scheduled to be held in Chicago.
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The future of U.S. forces in Europe
The United States and European militaries have a history of enduring partnerships and respect based on mutual core values and ideals including democracy, human rights, freedom of speech, and the right to liberty and justice for all.
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Top Five Books of 2011
I've spent a lot of time traveling this past year, which is a huge part of the job. As a result, I've had plenty of time to read, which is the best way to build intellectual capital as well as learn about other countries and experiences. Here are five books I particularly enjoyed reading this year.
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Afghanistan in 2012
The New Year is unfolding, and I'm thinking about Afghanistan. I think there are three keys to our success in the security sector, where NATO and the International Coalition have the largest share of the work to do.
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NATO in 2011 – Five Key Events
As I look back on 2011, I think we had a reasonably good year in the operational sense. Lots of good “end of the year” retrospectives are appearing in various magazines and on-line sites, and I thought I’d chip in with my own top five operational moments for the Alliance this past year – and a hope that it stays at least relatively quiet between now and the end of the year.Stavridis
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Three Failures and What I Learned From Each …
I was speaking this past fall to a group of Cadets and Midshipmen, young college students bound for military careers. They asked me to talk a little about my career and what I’d learned along the way. After pausing and thinking for a minute, I realized the three events that swam into focus were all moments of failure. Yet from each of them I learned something valuable that I still carry around in my mind.
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A few words on Human Rights...
I recently was lucky enough to win the Athenagoras Human Rights Award, presented annually for exemplifying “concern for the basic rights and religious freedom of all people.” Past winners have included Presidents Bush and Carter, Mother Theresa, Bishop Tutu, and many world religious leaders over the past twenty years.
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Briefing the Ministers …
This coming week, the 28 Ministers of Defense of the NATO alliance will gather in Brussels for meetings and discussions. They will be accompanied by another 22 Ministers from additional troop contributing nations in Afghanistan — in essence, the entire coalition will be represented.
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Three Transitions in Afghanistan
I'm flying over the Caspian Sea, returning from three days in Afghanistan. It was an eventful visit, my tenth over the past twenty months or so.
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Adm. Stavridis' speech "The Words They Leave To Us"
<h2>Click through the photos with the arrow below to see the video of Adm. Stavridis' speech.</h2>
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Effective Partnering for Cyber Security
A little over a week ago, at the request of EUCOM, the U.S. Embassy in Riga and the Latvian government, a small group of cyber security experts donated their time and expertise to conduct a strategic assessment of Latvia’s cyber security infrastructure.
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A Pretty Good Birthday
Along with two of the youngest members of the command, I cut a birthday cake to celebrate the moment sixty years ago, on 2 April 1951, when SACEUR Dwight D. Eisenhower activated Allied Command Europe – the predecessor to today’s Allied Command Operations – and its headquarters, the Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe.
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Five Great Reads for the New Year
Every year I look back through my reading journal and ask myself, “what were my top books of the year?” and why. Given my current job, some of them may seem obvious choices, but others may surprise. Here they are:
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Admiral Stavridis' Thanksgiving Day Message
Admiral Stavridis' Thanksgiving Day Message
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Admiral Stavridis' Veterans Day message
Admiral Jim Stavridis talks about Veterans Day, celebrated annually in the U.S. on Nov. 11.
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Whispers on a Wall
Now, what about that third question, the one regarding career risk? Quite the dilemma, at first blush. I’ve had two “career ending” moments in my 34 years in the Navy, both of which included a tragic, but thankfully incorrect, statement from a 3-star Admiral to a far junior me, “Stavridis, your career is over!” because I took the risk of articulating an idea in print. On the other hand, maybe somewhere along the way someone noticed something I wrote and thought, “Hmmm, maybe that junior officer is worth taking the time to meet with and talk to.” Some of the best career moments I’ve had came in that positive way – and there were many more of them than the negative.
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The Difference a Decade Makes
I spent a fascinating day in Kosovo last week, visiting as the NATO Commander just a few days before Secretary of State Hillary Clinton arrived to represent ongoing US support for Kosovo. In a phrase: What a difference a decade makes.I met with the clergy at Zociste Monastery in Southern Kosovo.
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From Traditional to Social Media in the Blink of an Eye
Greetings from Stuttgart, Germany! I'm Lt. Cmdr. Taylor Clark
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Navy Adm. James Stavridis, EUCOM Commander, Answers Your Top 5 Questions
The Supreme Allied Commander Europe and U.S. European Command, commander, Navy Adm. James Stavridis answers the top 5 questions sent to him on his Facebook page.
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Time for a Paradigm Shift?
If you are a cable news junkie, then you’ve probably watched BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation), one the largest, if not the largest, broadcasting organizations in the world. Yesterday, I had the opportunity to listen to Nik Gowing speak courtesy of ADM Stavridis’ 'Notable Film and Author Series’ and the EUCOM J9 Directorate. Nik presents the BBC's flagship news program, The Hub, which reports on global news for audiences across South Asia and the Middle East. He interviewed ADM Stavridis about operations in Marjah this past February and also recently wrote 'Skyful of Lies' and Black Swans, a study that addresses the role hand-held, multi-media technology plays in shaping public perceptions of government responses in crisis situations.
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What's the next big thing?
As social networking or social media becomes commonplace and the youngest to the oldest are chatting on Facebook, Linked In, Twitter and YouTube; one wonders what the next big thing will be.
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Headed home after four days in Australia and New Zealand
Headed home over the South Pacific after four days in Australia and New Zealand, strong allies and partners in Afghanistan as part of our 45-nation International Security Force – it was an excellent visit.
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U.S., “Team Brussels” and EUCOM
On Nov. 25, 2009 I proposed in these spaces an idea of linking the leadership of U.S. European Command with the senior U.S. leaders based in Brussels, the “Capital of Europe.” Then I suggested a meeting involving America’s geographic military command in Europe - EUCOM, with the 3 U.S. Ambassadors representing America to Belgium, NATO and the European Union. I’m happy to report that that idea materialized into a productive, informative visit March 19, 2010.
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Off to Washington!
I’m on Capitol Hill next week to update Congress on the successes and challenges of U.S. European Command and the security environment in Europe. As you’d expect, this is a BIG deal for us, and we’ve been preparing for months.
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Exploring the "Cyber Sea"
They cyber world really caught my attention about a year ago when my daughter’s Facebook account was pirated and her identity used for a swindle. Ugh!
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Thoughts about Successful NATO Efforts in Kosovo
A very full day visiting our Kosovo Force (KFOR) troops.
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What a week!
I started last week in Lisbon, on the heels of a trip to Stuttgart the previous Friday for staff briefings at European Command (EUCOM) and EUCOM's Annual Summer Reception, which included a spectacular concert with an Elvis Presley impersonator in full U.S. Army regalia!
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Back to sea!
The NATO Sea Day – held only once every two years – was an unqualified success. The object is to bring to sea the key decision makers in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization: the Secretary General and his Deputy; the entire Permanent Representatives from NATO’s decision-making body, the North Atlantic Council (all 28 nations of course have an ambassador-rank official assigned to Brussels); the Military Committee (each Chief of Defense – those of us from the U.S. would say Chairman of the Joint Chiefs – is a member, and each has a full-time, very senior representative in Brussels); and key personnel from the operational staff, i.e. Allied Command Operations / Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe.
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Touchstones
As I settle into a rhythm as both SACEUR and EUCOM Commander, it’s a good time to reflect on what kind of organization I want to lead.
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Back to Europe!
This is my first blog as Supreme Allied Commander, Europe and Commander of U.S. European Command. I am the first Admiral to assume these two jobs, and the fifteenth officer in a line stretching back to General Dwight D. Eisenhower.
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